Arrow – Second Chances

By: Stacy Miller

As the episode opens, it is three years ago and undercover Central City police officer Tina Boland (Juliana Harkavy) is being tortured by drug lord Sean Sonus (Steve Bacic) who threatens to kill Tina’s partner/lover Vince while Tina watches. But then came STAR Labs’ particle accelerator explosion. Sean Sonus shot Vince to death and Tina’s anguish screams came out sonic.

Back in the present, Team Arrow is searching the computer in order to find a suitable Black Canary replacement. The candidates presented include an Olympic Gold Medalist and an expert in jujitsu, but Oliver doesn’t feel either of these are worthy of Laurel’s legacy. Curtis tells Oliver that he read an urban legend about a woman who hands out vigilante justice by traveling the country to seek out the bad guys and she is a Meta Human with a sonic scream like Laurel. This piques Oliver’s interest. So, Oliver (Stephen Amell), Rene (Rick Gonzalez) and Curtis (Echo Kellum) go to Hub City to locate this woman, Tina Boland. Tina has been looking for Sean Sonus for the past three years in order to get revenge for Vince’s death. And now that Tobias Church is dead, Sonus is the head drug kingpin in Hub City and has even taken to selling drugs to children. Tina is in Hub City to finally get Sean Sonus. She’s not that excited when offered the chance to join Team Arrow by Green Arrow, Mr. Terrific and Wild Dog as she prefers to work alone. “If you get in my way, I’ll send the three of you back to Star City with your nuts in a sling,” Tina warns. Tough chick and the perfect candidate for the team!

Oliver is determined to have Tina as part of the team and wants to know more about her career with Central City Police Department. He calls Captain Singh (Patrick Sabongui) as Green Arrow. Of course, Singh doesn’t believe him so Oliver types a text and quicker than you can say The Flash a red blur speeds by Captain Singh’s computer and leaves a post-it note that reads “He’s Legit.” Now that he has information about Vinnie’s death as well as Tina’s address, Green Arrow and Wild Dog arrive at her place. Tina actually has someone she’s questioning in a back room about Sonus and when Team Arrow interrupts her, she uses her sonic scream. Unfortunately, this kills the person she’s questioning. Some drug dealers arrive and while Wild Dog stays to deal with them, Oliver goes after Tina who takes off out the window. He gives his pitch again, calling her Detective Boland. Tina asks why he’s so interested in her. Oliver explains that he knows what it’s like to run from the kind of pain she’s been running from the last three years. “I’ve been there. And I can help you find your way back,” Oliver says. Tina again declines.

While Oliver is trying to recruit Tina, Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) is using her computer hacking prowess to retrieve a missing NSA file that will implicate General Walker and free Diggle (David Ramsey). Another user comes online and asks if Felicity is “Ghost Fox Goddess” and asks to meet. A computer hacker groupie? Felicity tells Rory (Joe Dinicol) about her college past as a rebellious computer hacker and the mistakes she made. Felicity decides to meet her hacker fan who turns out to be a young woman who wants to be a hacker just like Felicity. Because computer hacking is so not a crime that could earn you many years in prison! The young woman is dejected to learn that Ghost Fox Goddess is no longer hacking and is using her computer brilliance in the corporate world. But the young hacker wannabe does help Felicity by giving her a flash drive with a data cache from the NSA. Felicity returns to Team Arrow headquarters and plugs the drive into the computer and finds a treasure trove of classified information. Felicity is able to leak the NSA file on Walker so DA Chase gets Diggle released on bail and has filed a motion to get the case against him dismissed.

In a flashback we learn about the woman who saved Oliver. Her name is Talia al Ghul (Lex Doig). She offers Oliver her assistance with Kovar and Yurievich. Oliver notices that Talia uses a bow and arrow. “To use a bow and arrow requires patience and discipline,” Talia tells him. But in the end, Oliver is able to defeat Yurievich using his fists. Talia questions Oliver about his father Robert Queen’s list. She believes that the real monster he battles is not any of the names on his father’s list, but the one inside himself. “It’s only when the monster become someone else that you’re free to be Oliver Queen.” And with that, Talia gives Oliver some clothes, leather and a hood. “I don’t know if I’m ready,” Oliver says. “I will help you become ready,” Talia tells him and then gives Oliver his first bow.

In the present day, Curtis and Rene talk about why Oliver is so keen on Tina becoming the new Black Canary. “Maybe this team is all about finding second chances,” Rene says.

Tina is able to locate Sonus’ hideout, but it seems that the particle accelerator explosion gave him Meta Human powers, too. He uses them to give Tina vertigo and does the same for Rene and Oliver. Tina decides that she will go to a drug meeting and get Sonus there, but she’ll do it alone. Realizing that there’s only way to get Tina to trust, Oliver removes his Green Oliver mask so she can see he is Oliver Queen. He wants to help her with Sonus and afterwards they won’t bother her again if that’s what she wants. And later on the rooftop where Sonus is awaiting a helicopter, they use the sonic dampener to take away his ability. As Tina is about to shoot Sonus, Oliver asks her “What would Vince want you to do?” Tina shoots and kills Sonus and answers, “He’d want me to do that.” Then, she walks away.

The next day, Tina shows up at the Mayor’s Office and tells Oliver that even with killing Sonus she didn’t find peace. She asks Oliver how he does it. “I’m still working on that myself, but I can tell you it helps to not be alone,” Oliver answers. Maybe this is both their second chance. Tina tells Oliver that Tina Boland was the name she used in her undercover work and that her real name is Dinah Drake, another reason she should be the new Black Canary. “I had a friend named Dinah. She’s the reason I sought you out,” Oliver tells her. “What do you think she’d think about all this?” Tina/Dinah asks. “I think she’d be proud of both of us,” Oliver answers.